


In the Middle of Nowhere

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Future Fic, Good Theo Raeken, Greenberg's Name Is Zac, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Living Together, M/M, Protective Theo Raeken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Theo leaves Beacon Hills, always feeling like he has to keep moving, keep running. An encounter with a motel owner in a small town in the middle of nowhere has him questioning whether he needs to keep running, or if maybe, just maybe, he can stay and be happy. Of course, his past has a way of catching up to him.
Relationships: Greenberg/Theo Raeken
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	In the Middle of Nowhere

**Author's Note:**

> This was just supposed to be something soft and fluffy because I wanted to write some Greenberg (even if he's barely called that). Then of course it spiraled.

Theo pulls into the nearly deserted parking lot of the motel, the gravel crunching under his tires. It's late. The only light comes from one dim street light by the road.

If he was human and a little less desperate he'd turn around and keep driving. But he's exhausted. He's been driving all night, determined to put as much space between himself and Beacon Hills as he can. 

Just like he has been for the past year, ever since they defeated the Anuk-Ite and chased off the hunters. He wasn't needed anymore, and he wasn't going to stick around long enough for anyone to decide to get rid of him.

He doubts anyone is actually looking for him. They're all probably happy to see him gone. Even if someone was looking they're not likely to think he'd stop in some small ass town in the middle of Illinois. 

It's not ideal, but there's not a lot he can do about it. He just needs a place to lay low for a day or two and then he can move on. Again. 

He parks his truck by the office and gets out, locking the door behind him. He pockets his keys and looks at the building. It's not _horrible._ He's slept in worse. It's certainly better than sleeping in a sewer. At least he'll have a bed here. 

Theo walks towards the door and opens it, stepping into the poorly lit office. It's small. There's a few chairs on either side of the door with tables between them, with an ATM next to the front desk. 

Behind the desk sits a man. He looks like he can't be more than a few years older than Theo is. His eyes lift from the book he's reading and Theo's thrown by how blue they are, even from a distance. 

Theo shakes himself and steps up to the desk, watching as the man puts his book aside.

"No offense, buddy, but you look like hell," the guy says, eyes looking him over curiously. 

"Not your buddy," Theo mutters. He's too tired to deal with this. He looks down at the guys name tag to see Zac written there with a smiley face next to it. Theo fights the urge to roll his eyes. Small towns are fucking weird.

"Clearly," Zac says. "My friends aren't such assholes."

"Excuse me?"

"You're being an ass," Zac shrugs. 

"I've barely said five words to you," Theo says. 

"Well you have _now_ ," Zac says, grinning at him. 

"You're messing with me," Theo says, narrowing his eyes. 

"Maybe."

"I guess you have to get your kicks somehow working in this creepy as motel in the middle of nowhere," Theo says. 

"Hey man, you're the one wanting to stay here," Zac points out. 

"I'm tired and need a place to sleep," Theo says. "I don't have a lot of options."

"Fair enough," Zac says. He moves the mouse and starts clicking on his keyboard. "Let's see if we have any rooms… and oh." He looks up at Theo with a grimace. "We're all full."

Theo stares at him a moment before looking out at the parking lot. There's only one car other than his. "Are you…? There's one car out there!" He looks back at Zac to find him grinning. "You're messing with me again!"

Zac laughs, "Like you said, I have to get my kicks somehow, and you're easy to mess with."

Theo really could just kill the guy and take the key himself. But, even though he won't admit it out loud, he's enjoying the teasing. 

"Are you going to give me a room or not?"

"Depends," Zac says. 

"On?"

"If you'll agree to go to dinner with me."

Theo raises an eyebrow, "Do you hit on all your customers?"

"Only the cute ones." Zac leans on the counter, a flirtatious smile on his face. "And just so you know, none of them are as gorgeous as you are."

"Keep it in your pants, Zac," Theo says, but he's grinning.

"I'd rather get you out of yours," Zac quips.

"Give me a room and I just might let you," Theo says. He's not sure why he's playing along. Well, he _is._ Zac is cute. And he wouldn't mind a good fuck. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Theo says. "But you have to buy me dinner first. I'm not that easy."

Zac chuckles, "Sure man." He hits a button on his computer. "Name?"

It's only then that Theo realizes he hasn't told Zac his name yet. It feels like such a big moment. Here he is, in this small town, with this guy that doesn't know a damn thing about him. A guy that has no problems teasing him or giving him shit. That just thinks of him as another normal guy. 

He's found his fresh start here. He could be anybody he wants.

So he smiles and holds out his hand towards Zac, feeling a strange sort of rightness when he takes it. "It's Theo. But you can call me Teddy."

Zac smiles, "Okay, Teddy. Let's get you that room."

* * *

"So what brings you to this small ass town in the middle of nowhere?" Zac asks, taking a sip of his shake. It's some coffee complicated concoction that Theo can't remember half the ingredients to.

He shrugs, taking a drink of his water, and debating what he wants to tell him. "I just needed to get away, I guess. Home wasn't exactly home anymore."

Zac hums his agreement. "Yeah I get that. Same reason I left home."

"You're not from here?"

"Hell no," Zac laughs. "My grandpa lives here, and I took over the motel when he wanted to retire, but I didn't always live here. I'm from California."

"No shit," Theo says. "Me too. Small town a couple hours outside of San Francisco."

"Seriously?" Zac questions. When Theo nods, he smiles. "This must be fate."

"What makes you say that?"

"Two guys from a small town in California wind up in another small town in Illinois just wanting to start over? Sounds like fate to me."

Theo can't disagree with that. Even if he's never been much of a believer in fate. It should scare him that looking at this strange man across from him makes him think that maybe fate isn't so bad. That for the first time in years he wants to stay somewhere. Not because it's a means to an end, but just because. 

But he's not afraid. He's curious. He'd left Beacon Hills because he wanted to start over. This might be his chance. 

"So," Zac says later when they're standing outside the door to Theo's motel room. "Where next?"

Theo knows he's not just talking about tonight, but in general. He smiles and leans in closer. "I was thinking I would stick around awhile."

"Yeah?" Zac says stepping into Theo's space.

"Yeah," Theo smiles. "I think there's a lot you could show me here."

"Don't tell me you're sticking around for little old me," Zac teases. 

"Well it's certainly not the scenery," Theo says. "You're a lot better to look at than all those fields."

"You say the sweetest things."

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Zac rolls his eyes before leaning in, his lips brushing softly against Theo's as his thumb strokes his jaw. It hits Theo that this is the first time he has genuinely kissed someone. Unlike all the other times it was him using someone to get his way. This is different. Better. 

He pulls Zac closer and lets himself go. Let's himself feel as he sinks into the kiss. 

"You're not staying here," Zac mumbles against his lips. 

Theo pulls back with as frown, "You don't want me here?"

"No, that's not what I…" he laughs and kisses him again. "I meant you're not staying in this motel room if you're sticking around. You're gonna stay with me. If you want to, that is."

"We just kissed and you're already asking me to move in with you?" Theo teases. He's deflecting. He knows he is. But he needs a little time to wrap his head around Zac's question. 

"You don't have to answer me tonight," Zac tells him. "And I won't take it too personally if you decide to bail. But I hope you won't. I really want to get to know you, Teddy. And I'd feel guilty about you living in this creepy ass motel."

"You own this creepy ass motel," Theo reminds him.

Zac shrugs, "Every town needs one. And people need cheap places to stay. So I keep it going. When it's not busy, which it rarely is, I open up the rooms to the homeless or people who are just down on their luck."

"So you weren't kidding about needing to check if there was a vacancy," Theo says. 

Zac smiles, "Nope. That was true."

Theo shakes his head, giving him a wry smile. "You really are too good for me."

"Why don't you let me decide who and what is good for me?"

It's a foolish idea to stay here, but he wants to. He wants to get to know Zac. To prove to himself that he doesn't have to keep running. That he can settle down somewhere and be happy. 

"I'll stay."

Even if this all winds up blowing up in his face, it's worth it now just to see the way Zac's face lights up when he smiles. 

* * *

**9 Months Later**

It's surprisingly easy to fall into a normal life here once he decides to stay. He gets a job at the diner waiting tables, something he never saw himself doing. But he must do a good job of it because he gets some pretty decent tips most days. 

His nights are spent at home with Zac. Turns out the night Theo had arrived he'd been filling in for one of the employees who needed the night off. Otherwise he only goes to the motel to check things are running smoothly. Maybe it was something like fate that brought them together.

When Zac's not there, he's writing. Something that, once Theo heard Zac say, had seemed to fit. He tries to do most of his writing while Theo is at work so his nights are free. 

It doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes Theo comes home to find Zac still bent over his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as words appear on the screen. Theo doesn't interrupt him when he's in his zone like that except to bring him water and something to eat. He's seen firsthand that when Zac gets to writing like that that he doesn't think about needing a break. 

Today is one of those days. They both have the day off, but Theo had woken up to Zac's side of the bed empty. He hadn't been worried. It had taken him a while not to immediately think the worst. He just makes himself focus on the noises in the house and it never takes long to pick up on Zac's heartbeat. 

Now he sits on the couch, an empty mug of tea on the table in front of him. Zac is at his desk in the corner, typing away, sometimes muttering to himself. Theo reads. It's something he's been doing a lot more of lately. He likes to blame Zac for getting him into it, but he doesn't mind. 

There's something calming about moments like these. Where the sun is shining in on them. The only sounds coming from nature, the clicking of keys, and every now and then the turn of a page. It's peaceful. Something Theo never thought he would have. Now that he does, he wants to hold onto it.

Theo lowers his book when familiar arms wrap around his shoulders and a face nuzzles into his neck. He hums in contentment and turns his head, which causes Zac to chuckle and press a kiss against his throat. 

"Were you going to let me work all day?" Zac asks him. 

"It's not even noon," Theo points out. "That's hardly all day."

"Maybe not," Zac says. "But I could've had plans."

Theo looks down at him, eyebrow raised. "Did you?"

"I could." Zac's teeth graze lightly against his skin, causing Theo to gasp and Zac to chuckle. "Are you interested in hearing my plans, Teddy?"

Theo can't stand it anymore. He hefts Zac up and into his lap, silencing Zac's laugh with a searing kiss. "I think I'd like it better if you showed me," Theo murmurs, trailing a finger across his cheek, down to his lips. "I have always been a more hands on learner."

"Lucky for you I have a lot to teach you today."

Theo smirks, "Well then, Professor, I'm ready and open to learn."

* * *

It's late afternoon, and neither Zac nor Theo have made it out of bed except to go to the bathroom or kitchen before coming back to bed. It's one of Theo's favorite lazy days. Where it's just them being together. 

"I'm going to need to shower," Zac mutters, wrinkling his nose. "And you do too."

"Zac Greenberg, are you telling me I stink?" Theo asks. 

Zac shrugs, lips pulling up into a half smile. "Well I wasn't going to _say_ it." He laughs and jumps away, out of the bed, taking the sheet with him. "Now come on. If you're nice, I'll even wash your hair."

The thought shouldn't excite him so much, but it does. He loves the feeling of Zac's nails raking against his scalp, something that Zac knows and uses to his advantage. Like right now. 

"Fine," Theo says. "I'll join you."

"You don't have to sound so put out about it," Zac says. 

"Oh hush," Theo says. He gets to his feet and stretches, smirking when he catches Zac looking at him. He brushes past him, running a hand across Zac's bare back. "You know I like it."

"You're really just going to walk around here naked?" Zac calls after him. A moment later, there are footsteps on the wood floor behind him. "Teddy."

Theo throws a smirk over his shoulder, "Why not? You were just going to get me out of my clothes again anyway. Besides, you know you enjoy the view."

"I fucking love the view," Zac mutters. "Attractive asshole."

"Get in here and you can enjoy it better up close," Theo tells him. 

He's barely turned the water on before Zac joins him, arms wrapping around his middle as he takes his ear between his teeth and tugs. 

"I love more than just the view," Zac whispers, warm breath blowing across his skin and making Theo shiver. "I can show you just how much."

He keeps his promise. By the time they even get to their hair the water has started to run cold. Theo jumps out once he's clean and wraps a towel around his waist. 

"I'm gonna get dressed and then do the dishes," Theo tells him. 

Zac peeks his head out, "Okay. I think I'm going to shave."

Theo reaches for him, brushing his fingers through the light scruff on Zac's jaw. "Completely?"

Zac chuckles, "No, not completely. Just a trim. I know how much you love the beard."

Theo grins and kisses him softly, "I love a lot of things about you."

"Yeah," Zac says, smile fond. "Me too."

Theo leaves him to finish his shower and shave. He dresses in a pair of sweatpants and one of Zac's tshirts, knowing they're not going to be going anywhere. 

Then he heads to the kitchen towards the small pile of dishes in the sink. They have a dishwasher Theo could easily load them, but he prefers to hand wash them. There's something calming about the simplicity of the task. He can just focus on that and let his mind rest. 

A knock sounds at the door and Theo stills. He turns his head, listening. There's something familiar about the heartbeat and scent, but he can't place where. 

"I got it," he calls back to Zac. The water turns off and Zac calls his affirmation. Theo grabs a dish towel and dries his hands off as he heads towards the door. As soon as he opens, he wishes he hadn't. He wishes he could close it, grab Zac, and get him far away from here. From _her._

"Hello Theo." Monroe stands there in front of him, smug grin on her face. She has a gun in her hand, pointed right at his stomach. "Did you really think you could run forever?"

"I wasn't running from you," Theo mutters. It's mostly true. He'd been running from everything. Maybe he'd been foolish to think it couldn't touch him here. That he actually had a chance at a normal life.

"No?" She questions. "Was it your twisted past then? You should know by now that has a way of catching up to you."

"Teddy?" Zac calls from inside. "Who's at the door?"

"No one important," Theo calls back. He looks over his shoulder at him and does his best to smile. "Just go wait in the bedroom. I'll be right there. Okay?"

Zac frowns, looking between Theo and Monroe. Theo knows the moment he spots the gun, because his eyes widen in horror. He pulls out his phone.

"Don't bother calling the cops," Monroe tells him. "He'll be dead before they even get here. I'd hate for you to have to join him."

Theo doesn't take his eyes off Zac, even as he feels the gun press against his head. "You should go, Zac."

"I'm not leaving you," Zac says, voice firm. 

Normally Theo would find his stubbornness endearing. Right now it frightens him as he pictures the fun moving to point at him. 

"You really should go," Monroe warns him. "I wouldn't want to take an innocent life."

Theo almost rolls his eyes. "As if you've ever cared about that."

"Teddy is innocent," Zac says, ever loyal. 

Monroe laughs, "Oh he really does have you fooled. Your Teddy might be. But Theo, the man he really is, he's not innocent. He's a monster. He's killed people. You should be thanking me for taking him out before he has a chance to turn on you. Make the smart choice and leave before your loyalty to the wrong person costs you your life."

Theo feels his heart break when Zac starts backing towards the back door. He can't blame him for wanting to leave. Theo's relieved because at least he'll be alive, but it hurts all the same. 

Monroe laughs and digs the gun deeper into his skin. "He really didn't take much convincing, did he? He must not love you that much."

Theo growls and flashes his eyes. "You really shouldn't be glad he's gone."

"Why? Because now you can show the monster you really are?"

He could. He could easily slice her throat before she even has a chance to pull the trigger. But he'd just be proving her right. He's changed. He's not going to let her drag him back down.

"I'm not a monster," Theo says. "Yeah I did bad things. But I'm trying to make up for that. What about you? One bad thing happens to you and you decide to hunt down and kill anyone that's different than you? Seems like you're the monster, Monroe. Not me."

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Monroe snarls. "Maybe I'll send your head back to Beacon Hills. Let them see what's become of you. Not that anyone there would mourn the loss of Theo Raeken."

A gun clicks, and it takes Theo a second to realize it's not the one pressed against his head. It's not until Monroe's eyes go wide and he hears Zac's voice that he realizes what's happening.

"My boyfriend has a point," Zac says. He steps into view, face grim but determined, as he continues to point the gun at Monroe. 

"You don't know who he is," Monroe says.

"I know enough," Zac says. "The rest doesn't matter. From where I'm standing, you're the one out here trying to hurt people. So you have two options. You get the hell off my property, or I shoot you for trespassing. Which one is it going to be?"

"As much as I'd like to see him shoot you, I'd take the first option," Theo tells her. 

She stares at him a moment, gaze hard, before lowering her gun and backing away, hands raised. "This isn't over," she tells him. 

"Oh I think it is," Theo says. 

"Now get the hell out of here," Zac says. "And don't even think about coming back."

Zac keeps his gun pointed at her as she continues to back towards her car, and then as she drives away. He doesn't lower it until she's disappeared from view. 

Theo watches him as he walks inside, wondering if he's supposed to follow him. He expects Zac to be angry, or upset. Anything. But he just turns towards him, eyebrow raised. "Well? Are you coming in or not?"

Theo follows him inside, closing and locking the door behind him. Zac puts the gun in his safe while Theo sits down on the couch. They're both silent for a while, even after Zac joins him. 

"So," Theo says, unable to take the silence anymore. "You own a gun."

Zac shrugs, "It felt necessary when I moved here. Especially given where I came from. And after seeing Monroe and hearing what she just,I'm almost certain you came from the same place."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Beacon Hills," Zac says. "That's where you're from, right?"

Theo stares at him, feeling confusion and fear warring within him. Zac's figured out he's from Beacon Hills, and that means something to him. Much more than it being just the name of a town. 

"How did you know?"

"I left Beacon Hills just after high school," Zac tells him. "There was too much weird shit. Too many people dying. So when my friend Danny came to me and said he was leaving, I jumped at the chance to get out of there. But that doesn't mean we haven't been keeping an eye on the town. We do still have some family there. So I heard when Monroe and her hunters showed up. I did kind of hear her say Beacon Hills. I also knew the pack was trying to track her down. So when she showed up here, I did what I could to help them."

"What did you do?"

"I wasn't just going for my gun when I went out back," Zac says. "I slipped a tracker under her car and then sent the information to Danny to get to Scott and the others."

Theo doesn't think when he takes Zac's face in his hands and kisses him. "You're brilliant."

Zac smiles, and brings a hand up to cover Theo's. "Are you just now figuring that out."

"I worked that out pretty early on," Theo says. "But you should be appreciated for that brilliance whenever possible."

"Can't say I'm complaining if that's how you show your appreciation," Zac says. 

"So you don't mind?" Theo asks. He doesn't pull back yet, not that Zac would let him if he tried. 

"Mind what?"

"That I'm a chimera," Theo says. "That I have a dark past. I've done things you should probably hate me for."

"We all have a past we're not proud of," Zac says, his fingers brushing across Theo's in a way that calms him. "You don't have to tell me what you did. But even if you decide to, it wouldn't change anything. I don't care about who you were in the past. I care about who you are now, Teddy. A man that walked into my motel lobby one night, looking rough as hell, but still cute enough that I wanted to get to know him. And yes, I was into your looks first. But you were kind of an ass at first."

Theo laughs, "Something you didn't mind telling me."

"Someone needed to," Zac teases. His smile softens. "But I've seen your softer side. A guy who loves girl scout cookies, and marshmallows in his hot chocolate. Who has a spot for comedies because he's seen enough darkness in his life to not want to live in it again, even on TV. Who helps older people out to their car in the winter so they don't slip on the ice. Who takes care of me when I'm too hyper focused to realize I've been sitting at my computer for hours without moving. That's the guy I love. Nothing else matters to me. I love you, and I know you love me."

This would be where the old Theo took his out. Scoffed and said there's no way he could ever love him. And it would have been true. That Theo wasn't capable of love. This one is. And he loves Zac with his whole twisted, broken, and healing soul. 

"I do," Theo says, brushing his fingers along Zac's cheeks and watching as his eyelids flutter. "I love you. I love our life here in this small ass town. It's not something I ever thought I'd want, because I never thought I could have it. You made me see that it's okay to want nice things for myself. That maybe I can deserve them."

"You do," Zac assures him. " _Theo_. You do."

"It's the first time you've called me that," Theo says.

"Do you not want me to?" Zac asks him. "I can still call you Teddy."

Theo thinks about it. Teddy had been his shield, in a way. Another way of hiding. He didn't think he could be happy here as Theo. Now he realizes that he can. That he always has been. "No," he says, smiling and kissing his nose. "You can call me Theo."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments make my day 💜  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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